Andersen No-Sway Experience
Over all I give the Andersen a thumbs up. Initial install is simple and quick. Its ability to move weight forward on your rig is surprisingly good. It pulls well and handles sway about as well as coul...
Forum Discussion
Hi All...
As a an answer tocampigloo, Yes the hitch does an amazing job at reducing the porpoising effect.
I was not going to "Go here" but...
I had an opportunity to pull my setup with a Blue Ox round bar system I picked up used, (1000 lb Bars) and a friction sway control bar. Same roads as I normally travel, same weather conditions...
For starters, the sway control bar is currently in a ditch north of Saskatoon where I threw it in disgust after pulling over in a road side pull out to put my Andersen back on. I will comment no further on friction sway control bars other then to say Andersens system is LIGHT YEARS ahead of these steel sticks. On to the round bar system... FAWR: On the scales my front axel weighs about 20 to 40KG more with the Blue Ox. It did take more weight off the drives and lift the rear end of the truck a little more then the Andersen (approx. 1/3 to 1/2 inch?). Honestly I do not remember the exact numbers and did not write em down as I knew I was getting rid of the round bar hitch anyhow. (explanation forthcoming). And before anyone asks yes I drained all the air out of the bags prior to weighing)
Driving impressions: If I had never towed with the Andersen I would tell you that the Blue ox did just fine(which fundamentally, it did). The differences between driving with one then the other are mostly subtle, but in a couple of cases not so subtle. I found that on roads where the driving surface is not smooth and there is a lot of rocking side to side the blue ox liked to transfer the trailer rock to the truck. You go over the bumps, then the trailer goes over and it is like the trailer tries to rock the truck again. Not an issue from a control standpoint, but not pleasant (DW says it makes her car sick). The anti bounce... This is where the Andersen shines. Any of you who have read my comments previously have heard this before... The Andersens ability to settle the nose of the trailer back in behind the TV is a god send. The round bar just seemed to amplify the up and down motion of the trailers nose and continued the see saw effect even after the bump, train tracks are where it is most noticeable, (again, see car sick comment above).
More subtle is the connection feel between the TV and the TT. The Round bar absolutely "connected the two". Whereas the Andersen lets the trailer ride along behind you a little more. I am personally a lot more comfortable with the Andersens feel. It's like I have more control over the TV and the trailer is just riding behind me, as opposed to having to control both units at the same time. I am betting that to most of you this makes little sense, but if you have run with a No-Sway or driven a tractor-trailer (Semi) you will probably know what I am referring to. Even outside of the bigger bumps that gentle ongoing porpoising that often happens when pulling a trailer is no where near as pronounced with the Andersen (Again see car sick comment)
For me, with my particular setup, The Andersen delivered a substantially more relaxing and drama free towing experience then did the Blue Ox and for what ever reason, DW does not get car sick with it like she did with the Round Bars.
The Andersen is not a "poor performing WD Hitch" It is a "Different performing WD Hitch".
I think TomG2 and I are on the same page here with this piece of equipment... If you are in a situation where you require a hitch that will remove a substantial amount of weight from the drive axel, this is just not the right hitch for ya. Assuming you have an appropriate TV and want a hitch that is quiet, clean, simple and makes the towing experience more pleasurable, not just for the driver, but for the family as well, maybe the Andersen No-Sway is right for you.
Each of us needs to make the right decision for us in our own situation. If what you feel is right is laying out spread sheets and comparing products mathematically, Go for it, give er, all the more power to ya. I did enough math to know that I am well within what my equipment is rated for. Beyond that, I would rather trust the actual towing experience. Maybe that is learned from my years of driving Tractor-Trailer and pushing Rigs, but for me, it works.
Happy Camping (and towing)
As a an answer tocampigloo, Yes the hitch does an amazing job at reducing the porpoising effect.
I was not going to "Go here" but...
I had an opportunity to pull my setup with a Blue Ox round bar system I picked up used, (1000 lb Bars) and a friction sway control bar. Same roads as I normally travel, same weather conditions...
For starters, the sway control bar is currently in a ditch north of Saskatoon where I threw it in disgust after pulling over in a road side pull out to put my Andersen back on. I will comment no further on friction sway control bars other then to say Andersens system is LIGHT YEARS ahead of these steel sticks. On to the round bar system... FAWR: On the scales my front axel weighs about 20 to 40KG more with the Blue Ox. It did take more weight off the drives and lift the rear end of the truck a little more then the Andersen (approx. 1/3 to 1/2 inch?). Honestly I do not remember the exact numbers and did not write em down as I knew I was getting rid of the round bar hitch anyhow. (explanation forthcoming). And before anyone asks yes I drained all the air out of the bags prior to weighing)
Driving impressions: If I had never towed with the Andersen I would tell you that the Blue ox did just fine(which fundamentally, it did). The differences between driving with one then the other are mostly subtle, but in a couple of cases not so subtle. I found that on roads where the driving surface is not smooth and there is a lot of rocking side to side the blue ox liked to transfer the trailer rock to the truck. You go over the bumps, then the trailer goes over and it is like the trailer tries to rock the truck again. Not an issue from a control standpoint, but not pleasant (DW says it makes her car sick). The anti bounce... This is where the Andersen shines. Any of you who have read my comments previously have heard this before... The Andersens ability to settle the nose of the trailer back in behind the TV is a god send. The round bar just seemed to amplify the up and down motion of the trailers nose and continued the see saw effect even after the bump, train tracks are where it is most noticeable, (again, see car sick comment above).
More subtle is the connection feel between the TV and the TT. The Round bar absolutely "connected the two". Whereas the Andersen lets the trailer ride along behind you a little more. I am personally a lot more comfortable with the Andersens feel. It's like I have more control over the TV and the trailer is just riding behind me, as opposed to having to control both units at the same time. I am betting that to most of you this makes little sense, but if you have run with a No-Sway or driven a tractor-trailer (Semi) you will probably know what I am referring to. Even outside of the bigger bumps that gentle ongoing porpoising that often happens when pulling a trailer is no where near as pronounced with the Andersen (Again see car sick comment)
For me, with my particular setup, The Andersen delivered a substantially more relaxing and drama free towing experience then did the Blue Ox and for what ever reason, DW does not get car sick with it like she did with the Round Bars.
The Andersen is not a "poor performing WD Hitch" It is a "Different performing WD Hitch".
I think TomG2 and I are on the same page here with this piece of equipment... If you are in a situation where you require a hitch that will remove a substantial amount of weight from the drive axel, this is just not the right hitch for ya. Assuming you have an appropriate TV and want a hitch that is quiet, clean, simple and makes the towing experience more pleasurable, not just for the driver, but for the family as well, maybe the Andersen No-Sway is right for you.
Each of us needs to make the right decision for us in our own situation. If what you feel is right is laying out spread sheets and comparing products mathematically, Go for it, give er, all the more power to ya. I did enough math to know that I am well within what my equipment is rated for. Beyond that, I would rather trust the actual towing experience. Maybe that is learned from my years of driving Tractor-Trailer and pushing Rigs, but for me, it works.
Happy Camping (and towing)
